Ted Cruz and Wendy Davis: Comparing two acts of political theater

They’re both tough talkers, but there were differences as well as similarities between the U.S. Senate talk-a-thon launched Tuesday on Capitol Hill by freshman GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Houston, and the legislative filibuster carried out by Texas State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, in June in Austin.

Cruz essentially used his lengthy remarks to spotlight House-passed GOP efforts to defund President Obama’s health care overhaul as well as to raise his own national profile.

Davis’ remarks in June delayed final approval of — but ultimately didn’t defeat — abortion legislation that imposed stricter requirements on abortions in Texas, including a ban on the procedure at 20 weeks and amandatethat abortion clinics meet the standards of ambulatory surgical centers.

Some comparisons:

— Filibuster, not:

Cruz’ marathon remarks to the U.S. Senate technically didn’t constitute a legislative filibuster under Senate rules. The Tea Party-backed lawmaker was merely speaking on a procedural vote that was scheduled to take place at noon on Wednesday, whether he spoke or not. His remarks did keep the Senate in session but they did not affect the timetable for the next step in the legislative process.

Davis’ filibuster blocked an eleventh-hour vote on the abortion bill, forcing GOP Gov. Rick Perry to call a special session to adopt the legislation that Davis fought.

— Take a break:

Cruz got to take a break from non-stop talking thanks to U.S. Senate rules that permitted lengthy and often windy questioning by allied colleagues. Cruz benefited from questions that were more like speeches by Sens. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, Mike Lee, R-Utah, Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, David Vitter, R-Louisiana, Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and Saxby Chambliss, R-Georgia. Senate rules freed him to lean on a lectern during his remarks.

Davis had to talk continuously, aside from taking questions from colleagues, and had to stay on topic. She couldn’t lean on her desk, consume snacks or take a bathroom break. She was penalized after accepting help from state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, in putting on a back brace. Davis’ filibuster finally ended after three violations of restrictions on a filibuster.

— Staying power:

Cruz began speaking at 2:41 pm Eastern Daylight Time on Tuesday. To beat the standing record set by a current senator, Cruz would have to exceed the 13 hours of remarks by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, earlier this year when he opposed Senate confirmation of CIA Director John Brennan. That would take Cruz until at least 3:41 am EDT Wednesday.

Davis began speaking at 11:18 a.m., and just after 10 p.m., a Republican colleague raised a third and final objection that Davis wasn’t sticking to the subject of the bill, a filibuster requirement. GOP Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst sustained the objection, but his ruling and the events surrounding it threw senators into an uproar with differing interpretations of what had happened and how they should proceed. The Legislative Reference Library lists her filibuster as lasting approximately 12.5 hours.

— The impact:

Cruz’ remarks showed no sign of changing the outcome of the vote in the Democratic-led Senate on House-passed legislation that would continue federal operations beyond Oct. 1 and defund Obamacare. Cruz’ GOP allies in the Senate do not appear to have enough votes to win Senate approval of language that would end spending on implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Davis’ remarks delayed final state Senate action on the abortion bill, forcing Texas Gov. Rick Perry to call another special session to enact the disputed measure.

— Footwear:

Cruz usually wears cowboy boots with his business suit. But he said he had purchased more comfortable black tennis shoes to wear during his lengthy remarks.

Cruz is banking that leading the GOP charge to defund Obamacare will pay off with wider support among Tea Party activists and potentially give him a boost for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, if he decides to run.

Davis’ moment in the spotlight raised her political profile nationally as well as in Texas, providing access to campaign donations for a potential 2014 campaign for governor. Davis is weighing a campaign that could pit her against Texas GOP Attorney General Greg Abbot.

— Full Chamber/Empty Chamber:

Cruz’ spent most of Tuesday addressing a largely empty Senate chamber. The CSPAN camera angle tightly focused on speakers at the lecterns rather than providing viewers a panorama of the Senate Chamber.

Davis’ colleagues were actively engaged in the chamber during the Texas Senate abortion fight, which attracted crowds to the Capitol and filled the Senate gallery. Pandemonium reigned in the last minutes of the special session, when Dewhurst and Republican senators dropped the curtain on the filibuster and sought to carry out a vote that couldn’t be heard over shouting and screaming from opponents in the gallery.